Amber Rais

Amber came to cycling after a shoulder injury ended her collegiate swimming career. What began as a fun way to keep fit blossomed into a renewed love for competition when she began racing with the Stanford Cycling Team at the tail end of the 2004 collegiate season. With rejeuvenated motivation, she returned the following season to win the West Coast Collegiate Conference Omnium, the Collegiate National Criterium and Collegiate National Omnium. Further, she earned her USCF upgrade to category 1, and at the end of the season signed with Webcor Builders. Her first season racing professionally at the NRC level had a rough start when she broke her hand at Redlands in March. Coming back from injury, she finished the season with two NRC stage wins, two NRC podium finishes, nine season race wins, and a third place ranking for the Women's Prestige Series Best Young Rider. Thus far in 2007, Amber has attained two NRC podium finishes, three NRC stage wins, and one NRC GC victory.

Off the bike, Amber earned a Masters in Earth Systems from Stanford University (focus in oceanography and environmental policy), as well as a Bachelors degree in Human Biology, also from Stanford (focus in marine biology and environmental policy). Currently, she is working part time as a Research Assistant on an empirical ethics project through the Environmental Venture Program and the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford.

Read Amber's diary at www.cyclingnews.com